National Republican., 1887-08-09
Mr.. crape Ren.ws HI. Charges.

MT. Nrhne nDneWh MS OnHrkeHs
EDITOR NATIONAL REPUBLICAN,; l clip
the following from last Fridays RRPUBhI-
CAN;
EDIToR NATIONAL REPUBLICAN: II the Dis
triCt commissioners can do what Mr era ie
chsTges-expend In six years $4,000 more
than they receive arc they not the men We
want at the head OF our local government II
there Is no bad bookkeeping or inisappllcaton
Instead OF a G"deacit," there IL an excess; ia.
stead of a defalcation there has been dona-
tlon. Mr.. Cranes presentation OF his case Is
coufuiug. What we need are the FACTS,
The above was evidently inspired by the
same brain that gave birth TO a similar
communication signed "X,n published in
last evenings star. Both might probably
be traced to the District building.
II "Factsn would come out over his own
signature instead OF thelterlng himself be-
hind nom de plume, would feel more like
noticing what he says.
/ have never stated that the commits
| sioners expended In six years $500 900 more
thnn they received. What | did say was
| this, that their reports show that the ex.
ptnditures for ''pipe distribution from 1880
| to 1886 were 100000 more than their re.
ported receipts during the same time Tor
water main taxes. Why do not the CON.
| miseloners explain this strange condition OF
things, instead Of quibblipg in the way
| doing over the signature Of "Facts."
The water rents have evidently been taken
| to help out on the pretended deficiency In
| the water msin tax fund.
There ls not plumber In the District that
| does not know that at the present low price
| Of pipe, which Is less than one.half what IL
| cost sixteen years ago, water mains can be
| laid on an assessment OF Il cents per square
! foot on property abuttlng and pay profit
OF over 100 per cent on the Investment. |
| do not undertake to say what has become
| Of the money realized from water main
assessments. Many Of the assessments
mny never have been made; or, II
| made, the tax, II collected, may, more
| or less OF II, have been taken for the use OF
| some other fund, or deliberately stolen. II
| l were inside, and had access to the books,
| think could soon fnd out whether the
money was stolen or taken for the use OF
some other fund. But l am working on
the outside at great disadvantage, beiug
oblip ed to rely on the men arraignei and
their predecessors for material to sustain
the charge make Of gross mismanagem sat
and fraud in the water department for the
past sixteen years.
The various reports OF the District com
missioners prove that the receipts from
water rents every year have been amply
sufficient, at the old rates, to pay every
honest expenditure In the water Office lex
cept for laying new water mains, which are
paid for by assessments) and leave hand
some surplus.
Now what has become OF that surplusP
The water main tax fund having been used
for other purposes, or stolen, the surplus
water rents have been taken to make up
the deficiency. The water fund to-day
should have half million dollars to IL
credit instead of being bankrupt. To show
what became OF the water rents will copy
from the commissioners report for the yeal
ending June 30, 1885, the receipts aud ex
penditures for that year.